Plunger for jigs.



S. V. TENCH.

PLUNGER FOR JIGS.

APPLIOATION FILED FEB. 5, 1913.

Patented Jan. '27, 1914 2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

ATTORNEY eoLUMElA PLANOGRAPH C0., wAsHlNu'x-ON. D. c.

S. V. 'IENGH. PLUNGER FOR JIGS.

APPLIGATION FILED FEB. 5, 1913.

1,085,509. Patented Jan. 27, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

c/v. 1` l E 2 A mga- @Vw ATTORNEY COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co.,wASHlNGToN. D,c.

SAMUEL V. TE'NCH, OIE LANSFORD, PENNSYLVANIA.

PLUNGER FOR J IGS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 27, 1914.

Application led February 5, 1913. Serial No. 746,307.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, SAMUEL V. TENGH, a citizen of the Unit-ed States,and a resident of Lansford, county of Carbon, State of Pennsylvania,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Plungers for Jigs,of which the following is a specilication.

My invention relates to improvements in plungers adapted for use in jigswhich are employed for the separation of mineral substances havingdifferent specific gravities. I have illustrated my inventionas appliedto aljig adapted forthe separation of coal from s ate.

One object of my invention is to provide a construction of plungeradapted for use in a jig having means whereby it will autoi l materialplaced upon the grate bar 8 to 1 facilitate the separation of theportions of l such material having different specific gravities as, forinstance, coal and slate.

matically adjust itself to the size of the compartment in which itoperates independently of the worn condition of its edges due to a longcontinued usage or other causes.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be referred tohereinafter or will be apparent from the description.

My invention comprehends the construction and arrangement of parts asillustrated in the accompanying drawings and as here inafter describedin detail and specifically pointed out in the claims. It should beunderstood, however, that changes in the dctails of construction may bemade within the scope of the claims without departing from my invention.

y In order that my invention may be more readily understood and itsadvantages appreciated reference should be had to the accompanyingdrawings, in which,-

Figure l is a transverse Vvertical sectional view of a jig showing aplunger embodying my invention in sideelevation, Fig. 2 is a top planview of such plunger with its pis ton rod removed and also showing aportion thereof broken away and in section, Fig. 3 is a transversesectional view of the plunger taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2, Fig. 4 isa transverse sectional view taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2, Fig. 5 isatop plan view of a modified construction of plunger with the piston rodremoved and with a portion of the said plunger broken away and insection, Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 6-6 ofFig. 5, Fig. 7 is a view showing a top plan of vanother modiliedconstruction of plunger with the piston rod removed, a portion of theVsaid plungern being broken away and shown insection and the said viewalso showmgguide posts 1n transverseV section at the corners of saidplunger, and Fig. 8 is a transverse sectional,

i sediment from the said tank, the said tank being partially filled withwater 3 as indicated. Thek upper portion of the tank is divided by meansof a partition 4 into two l compartments 5 and 6 in the latter of whicha plunger 7 operates.

8 designates grate bars extending from the partition 4 across thecompartment 5 to the side of the tank 1.

9 designates an agitator for agitating the The material of heavierspecific gravity is discharged from the opening l() and the material oflighter specific gravity is discharged through the opening 1l. Forinstance, if the apparatus is used to cause the separation of the slatefrom the coal the former is .discharged through the opening l0 while thelatter, that is, the coal, is discharged through the opening 1l.

The plunger consists of a plate l2 of metal or other suitable material,the under side of which is hollow as indicated at 13, in Fig. 3, leavingwhat may be termed shoulders or flanges 15 at the outer under edgeportions of the plate which `surround the hollowed out or recessedportion 13. the purpose of strengthening the plate cross ribs 16 areprovided. The outer upper edges of the plate l2 are grooved or rabbetedas indicated at 20 to form seats for the bearing bars 2l. The formationof the grooves 20 `in the outer edges of the plate l provides the saidplate with a flange 22 extending entirely around the same. The bearingbars 2l consisting of wood or other suitable material are held in placein the grooves 20 by means of a plate 23 which is secured to the platel2 by means of nuts 24 secured upon the upper ends of bolts 25.

As illustrated the width and length of the plate 23 are the same as thecorrespond ing dimensions of the plate 12. The central portionof theplate 23 is cut away as indicated at 26 for the purpose of reducing Fori the weight of the plunger. 'Ihe outer edge portions of the plate 12are provided with passage ways 27 which extend from the hol low orrecess 13 in the under side of said plate and communicate with thegrooves 2O formed in the outer edges of the said plate. The outer endsof the said passage ways 27 terminate against the inner edges of thebars 21. The ends of the bars 21 overlap eachother in the mannerindicated at 30 in Fig. 3 of the drawings. The plunger is secured to thelower end of the piston rod 31 by means of screw threaded bolts whichengage holes 32 in the top of the plate 12. The said piston rod isreciprocated in any suitable manner and lby any suitable means. Thereciprocating movement of the plunger' 6 in its compartment 6 causes amovement of the water 3 in the tank 1 up and down in the compartment 5.As the plunger moves downwardly the water rises in the compartment 5 andas the plunger moves upwardly the water in the tank follows it so thatit rises in the plunger compartment 6 and is lowered in the othercompartment 5. Such a movement of the water causes agitation of thematerial to be separated which is located above t-he grate bars 8 whichagitation is increased by the oscillatory movement of the agitatingmember 9 whereby the lighter constituents of the material to beseparated escapes through the opening 11 while the heavier constituentsescape through the opening 10.

The abrading action of the sides of the plunger compartment 6 upon theedges of the plunger causes a wearing of the outer edges thereof so thatit is necessary that the edge portions of the plunger shall be adjustedso as to cause the plunger to effect a closure of the compartmentsufficient to cause the necessary movement of water to and fro in thetank 1.

In so far as I am aware it is novel to provide a plunger for jigs withmeans 1 whereby its edge portions are automatically adjusted tocompletely close the compartment in which it operates regardless of itsworn condition, provided, of course, it is not completely worn out. Inmy construction as illustrated in Fig. 1 it will be seen that when theplunger is forced downwardly the water passes through the passage ways27 and exerts pressure, in proportion to the force with which theplunger is pressed downwardly7 against the inner edges of the laterallymovable bearing bars 21 so that the outer edges of the said bars arepressed and held firmly against the inside surfaces of the walls of thecompartment in which the plunger operates. It will be understood thatthese side bars continue to make contact with the inside surfaces of thewalls of the compartment independently of their condition of wear untilthey are completely worn out. The provision of a construction whereby aplunger automatically adjusts itself to the compartment in which itoperates had knowledge, and secondly by reason of the fact that economyin operation is secured because it is unnecessary to discontinueoperation of the jig from time to time to adjust the edges of theplunger by hand or to sub-l stitute new portions for old.

IVhen the bearing bars 21 become too much worn to permit of further usethey may be removed and new bars substituted by removing the topL plate23. This may be done by removing the top nuts 24. Each.V

of the bolts 25, however, is retained in position; by means of thepresence of a collar or flange 32 intermediate its ends which issituated in a seat or depression 33 in the upper surface of the plate12, and a nut 34 connected to the lower end of each of the said bolts.

By reason of overlapping the ends of the bea-ring bars 21 as indicatedat 30 it will be readily seen that as the bars become worn and graduallymove outwardly very little space is formed at such overlapped ends forthe passage of water upwardly beyond the plunger as it is depressed.

In Figs. 5 and 6 I havel shown a construction of plunger comprising aplate 35 having a recess or hollow 36 upon its under side and alsohaving stiening or strengthening ribs 37 corresponding substantiallytothe parts numbered 12, 13 and 16 in Figs. 1 to 4 of the drawings. Theouter upper edges of the plate 35 are cut away as indicated at 40 toform seats for the automatically adjustable bearing members of theplunger which will be referred to in detail further on. At the fourcorners of the plate the upper outer portion thereof is cut away asindicated at 41 so that the surface of the inside wall of the grooves orseats 40 is polygonal in shape. The bearing members consist of the fourside bars 427 the opposite ends of which are pointed as indicated at 43.'Ihe said pointed ends project into similarly shaped recesses or notches44 formed uponY opposite sides of members 45 which are situated at thecorners of the plate 35.y IThe said members 45 are substantially of theshape of an arrow head and the inner ends thereof are located against orin proximity to the parts 41 of the wall at the inner edge of the grooveor seat 40. The bearing members 42 and 45 are retained in place in thegroove or seat 40 upon the plate 35 by meansv of a top whole by Vthereference numeral l50. lIhe hollow or recess 36 in the plate 35 is incom- -Imunication with the groove or seat 40 through the passage ways 5lwhich terminate adjacent to the inner bearing members 42 and 45 so thatas the plunger is moved downwardly the water in the tank passes throughthe said passage ways 5l and presses against the inner edges of thebearing members 42 and 45 to cause out-ward movement thereof to hold thesame against the sides of the compartment 6. As the parts 42 and 45become `worn and gradually move outwardly away from .the verticalshoulder at the inner edge of the groove or seat 40 the extreme pointedends of the members 42 bear against the surfaces 53 oi' the members 45so. that only very small4 openings or passage ways will be formedthrough which the water may pass upwardly and beyond the plunger as thelatter is moved downwardly.

The plate 48 may be removed to permit the removal and replacement of themem- .bers 42 and 45 in the same manner as has been described inconnection with the members of Figs. l and 2 of the drawings.

.ln Figs. 7 and 8 I have shown a construction of plunger comprising aplate 60 having a hollow or recess 61 in its under side and being'provided with strengthening ribs or ianges 62. The outer upper edges ofthe said plate 60 are provided with grooves 63 in which bearing bars 64are seated, which bars are adapted to contact with the walls of thecompartment in which the plunger is being operated. The plate 6.0 is cutaway at its corners as indicated at 65 forming` right angular notchesfor the reception re` spectively of one corner of each of the four fdifferent guide posts 67 located at the four corners of the saidplunger. The opposite ends of the bearing bars V64 rest against sides iof the said guide posts 67 as is shown in Fig. 7 of the drawings. Thebearing or wearing bars 64 are retained in position upon the plate 6()by means of th-e plates 69, y the inner edges of which are located indei pressions or countersinks 70 and the said` plates 69 are secured tothe plate GO by means of nuts and bolts 7l. The construction of thesenuts and bolts is the same as in Figs. l to 4 of the drawings.

l/Vhen a bearing member 64 becomes too much worn for further use it maybe removed by removing a plate 69 and substitut-ing a new bearing memberfor the one removed and then returning vand securing the said plate inits origina-l position. The bearing bai-s G4 are adjustableautomatically latterly as is clearly indicated in Figs. 7 and 8 of thedrawings so that as they become worn they move outwardly and maintainContact with the walls of the compartment in which the plunger isoperating. Passage ways 72 are formed in the plate 60 and extend fromthe hollow or recess Gl outwardly and open into the groove 63 in whichthe bearing members G4 are located. The outer ends of the said passageways are in proximity to the inner edges of the said bearing members sothat when the plunger is moved downwardly the water in the tank passesthrough the passage way 72 and exerts a pressure or force against thesaid bearing members to move the same outwardly and hold them againstthe walls of the plunger compartment.

It will be seen that in all of the several forms of constructionillustrated the principle of operation is the same and that the changesconsist in different details ot' arrangement. It will also be seen thatin the said several forms of construction the bearing members, whichalso may be termed the wearing members, automatically move outwardlyupon the depression of the plunger due to the reacting pressure of thewater upon the inner edges of the said bearing members, As a result ofsuch outward movement of the said bearing members the size of theplunger is automatically adjusted as its bearing edgesbecome worn sothat it fits accurately and closely the compartment chamber and thusoperates eliiciently.

I claim V l. A plunger of the character described comprising aplate-like member having a shouldered recess formed in its outer edgeand extending entirely around the same, bearing members situa-ted in thesaid recess the inner edges of which are adapted to be seated againstthe said shoulders, and means for loosely` holding the said bearingmembers wit-hin the said recess, and the said plate-like member beingprovided with holes extending from its underneath side and termina-tingin the shoulders of the said recess for the purpose described.

2. A plunger of the character described, comprising a pla-te like memberhaving a recess in its lower side and having a. groove upon the upperside of its outer edge poition and also having passage ways leading fromthe said recess to the said groove, bearing members movably seated inthe said groove and `a plate having connection with the first namedplate, the edge portions of which plate extend over the said bearingmembers whereby the latter are retained in position in the said groove,the said bearing members being automatically moved outwardly upon themovement of the said plunger in a. direction against a fluid.

3. A plunger adapted for use in jigs, which plunger comprises a pla-telike member having a recess in its lower side, and having agroove in itsouter edge portion and also having passage ways leading from the saidrecess to the said groove, mov-abl-e bearing members located in the saidgroove,

means for retaining the said bearing members in the said groove andpermitting the said members to move freely in the direction of the planeof the said plate, the said bearing members being moved automaticallyoutward by fluid pressure exerted against the same through the saidopenings, and a piston rod for operating the said plunger.

a. A plunger adapted for use in a jig, comprising a main or body memberhaving a recess formed in its lower side, and having a groove formed inits outer edge and also having passage ways leading from the said recessto the said groove, bearing members seated in the said groove, certainof the said members being provided with notches which receive the endsof alternate members as described, and means for retaining the saidbearing members in the said' groove, the said bearing members beingautomatically pressed outwardly by fluid pressure exerted upon the edgesof the said members when the said plunger is moved in a direction towardthe water in the tank of the said jig.

5. A plunger adapted for use in a. jig, which plunger comprises arectangular or a square plate like member having a recess in its lowerside, 4and having a groove in its edge which groove extends entirelyaround the edge of the said plate like member and the material of thesaid plate like member being cut away at its four corners whereby theinner wall of the said groove is polygonal in shape and the said platelike member also having passage ways from the said recess to the saidgroove, relatively long bearing members located in the said grooves a-tthe side and end edges of the said plate like member and bearing membersinterposed between the ends of the first named bearing member the saidsecond named bearing members having notches in their opposite edges forthe reception of the ends of the first named bearing members asdescribed, a plate secured to the said plate like member and retainingthe said bearingmembers 1n position 1n the said groove, a

plate-like member and the material of the said plate-like memberbeing'cut away at its four corners whereby the inner wall of the saidrecess is octagonal in shape and the said plate-like member alsoV havingpassageways from its underneath side which terminate in the shoulders ofthe said recess, vrelatively long bearing members situated in the saidrecess at the side and end edges of said plate-like member and bearingedges interposed'between the ends of the said firstnamed bearingmembers, the second-named bearing members having notches in theiropposite edges .for the reception of the ends of the first-named bearingmembers, means for retaining the said bearing members in position in thesaid recess, and a piston rod for operating the said plunger, `the saidbearing members being forced outwardly by fiuid pressure exertedVagainst the inside edges thereof when the'` plunger is forced againstthe water in the of the jiO.

In testimony that I clainijthe foregoing as my invention, I havehereunto signed my name this 23rd day of Jan7y, Al D. 1913.

sAMUEL v. TENCHQ In the presence of-.- Gr. WV. IVILMOT, T. D zLnwIs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patentsv Washington, D. G. i t

